Mar 29, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns center Alex Len (21) in the second quarter at US Airways Center. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
PHOENIX — Kyle Singler, D.J. Augustin and Anthony Morrow all hit 3-pointers during a 13-0 Oklahoma City run early the fourth quarter, and the Thunder rallied from a 20-point, first-half deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 109-97 Sunday.
Guard Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 33 points, but he scored just four in the fourth quarter and was on the bench resting when his teammates took control of the game. He made only 10 of 29 shots from the floor.
Singler, a forward, hit two 3-pointers and guards Morrow and Augustin one each to turn an 83-82 Suns lead into a 95-83 Thunder advantage with 6:45 left.
The win gives the Thunder (42-32) a four-game lead over the Suns (38-35) in the fight for the eighth Western Conference playoff spot. The New Orleans Pelicans are 2 1/2 games behind Oklahoma City.
Augustin finished with 19 points, and guard Dion Waiters scored nine of his 18 in the third quarter.
The Suns led 54-34 with 6:27 left in the first half, but Oklahoma City outscored Phoenix 75-43 the rest of the way. The Suns scored 62 points in the first half but managed just 13 baskets and 35 points in the second half.
The Thunder shot 4-for-14 from 3-point range in the first three quarters but hit six of 12 in the fourth quarter to put away the game.
Forward Markieff Morris had 24 points to lead the Suns, but he scored only four in the second half as Phoenix all but gave away its last chance to stay in the postseason race.
Rookie forward T.J. Warren had 18 points, and forward Marcus Morris and guard Eric Bledsoe had 15 each for the Suns, who lost guard Brandon Knight when he re-injured his right ankle in the third quarter.
Markieff Morris got the Suns off to a fast start, scoring the first 11 Phoenix points in 2:26. He finished with 16 points in the quarter, and his dunk off a Marcus Morris feed gave the Suns a 21-10 lead.
Westbrook was just the opposite. He picked up a technical foul 57 seconds into the game, missed his first five shots from the field and finished 2-for-9 in the quarter.
Up 35-24 after one quarter, the Suns outscored Oklahoma City 19-10 in the first 5:33 of the second quarter and pushed their lead to 54-34 on two Marcus Morris free throws.
Westbrook finished the half with a flourish. He scored Oklahoma City’s final 15 points, starting with a 3-pointer and ending with a 14-foot jumper to pull the Thunder within 62-54 at the half. He finished the half with 23 points but needed 19 shots to get them.
The Suns missed 17 of 24 shots, and they saw the rest of their big lead vanish in the third quarter. Waiter had nine points in the quarter and capped a 16-6 run with a fastbreak layup to tie the game at 71. Westbrook was 2-for-7 in the quarter, but his teammates were 7-for-13, and Oklahoma City trailed just 79-76 heading to the final 12 minutes.
NOTES: Phoenix G Brandon Knight played for the first time since spraining his left ankle March 9. He scored six points in 16 minutes before he was re-injured. … Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks on having C Steven Adams face athletic players such as Suns F Markieff Morris and F Marcus Morris with several Thunder big men injured: “We have no other choice right now,” Brooks said. “Steven is going to have to learn how to guard perimeter players while we’re down a few guys. These are all new experience for him, (but) I think he’s done a pretty good job.” … The Suns were struggling offensively, but their defense was strong over the previous six games. Phoenix held opponents to an average of 91.7 points per game, and its 93.4 points allowed per 100 possessions over that span was the best in the NBA.
